Gelel: The Eternal Order
by Uzumaki09's WhirlpoolSaga
Summary: They came out of hiding once the Clone Wars reached their boarders. A faction that has silently influenced and conquered the lesser worlds far from the Galactic Republic's reach. Jedi and Sith will now come face-to-face with an Order that had once conquered the galaxy. 3rd Chapter has been added along with previous chapters now rewritten and edited. 10/23/19
1. Chapter 1

_"An army of guardians who know the Force is more than Light or Dark."  
~Valkorian_

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***Prologue Chapter**: A subtle change, and an echo in the Force*** **

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…

She had been running in the dead of night.

She moved quickly, taking cover shortly. Her back met the gnarled tree-trunk. Panting, breathing, smacking her lips together when she gulped a breath of air. She felt her heart thump in her chest and drum so loudly it reached up to her ears. Her body felt hot, dripping with beads of sweat trickling down her chin. Gulping another deep breath of air, Kalifa moved.

The air was humid even at night.

Taking a turn, a small jutting tree branch scraped against her cheek. Kalifa didn't stop. Even when she felt her stomach lurk when something bright and quick flew right over her head, Kalifa still ran.

They found her.

One of her captors had managed to find her through this thick jungle.

Quickly, Kalifa ducked under another gnarled tree root, which took the hit of another blaster bolt aimed at her.

It was a game these monsters played since the beginning, they were the hunters, while Kalifa was the prey to hunt.

Crawling through the ground, the cold wet muck smearing along her clothes and face, the narrow path Kalifa found herself in opened enough for her to get back on her feet and run. She ran as fast as her legs could take her.

It didn't matter where she was going, so long as she was able to escape.

Kalifa's thoughts were brief on her friends – the only ones who managed to survive alongside her were elsewhere, somewhere far, somewhere safe. She couldn't risk going back to find them, not with the prowler chasing after her.

_'I have to hide; I have to hide!'_ telling herself in her panic, Kalifa pushed through another set of vines and into a clearing where the vines and trees coiled around her, for the moment she stopped to catch her breath.

In the night sky, a faint ray of ominous green light shone through the coiled opening. It wasn't moonlight. What was in the sky was a planet reflecting the light from the closest star and acting much like a full moon.

Kalifa's captors weren't usually out at this time. They never hunt in the dead of night unless they felt to push their luck. And it was an unfortunate part for Kalifa – their luck was enough to find her when she went out scavenging for food.

A douse of fear made its way into her heart. Kalifa could hear them, the hiss-like shrills behind her echoing, getting louder with each second. They were closing in on her.

_'Which way?'_ asking herself in thought, Kalifa didn't know which way was the safest. She'd never been this far out in the jungle before. Needing to make a choice, Kalifa took a step, already set in going one direction until something stopped her.

"Ah!"

Pain rack her shoulder, knocking her down. Kalifa didn't have time to register what had happened, the next thing she knew was feeling the air forcefully kicked out from her lungs when something struck her chest. The blow sent her skidding along the ground and bash into the thick tree root near her. A bitter and irony flavor caked the inside of her mouth.

Trying to take a breath was like setting her lungs on fire! By the Force, Kalifa believed her lungs were on fire!

"Rah! I got you!" one of Kalifa's captors found her. Letting out a shrill-like hiss in the air, Kalifa saw the faint light shine on the one that shot her.

Her heart plummeted when she saw sickly green scales and fiery orange eyes. In his arms he held onto a blaster rifle.

Her captor was a Trandoshan, a reptilian humanoid.

"Finally, a worthy trophy to mount on my wall!" a snarled hiss left his fanged maw.

Kalifa was left defenseless.

The Force could not help her. Her faith wavered under the stress. And in turn, the Force wavered to her aid.

_'I'm not ready to die' _thought Kalifa, swallowing the lump in her throat when she tried to move. That little girl inside her couldn't handle the stress anymore. The suffering she had to endure was too much now. Kalifa tried to reach out, not physically, but through the Force one more time. It was her last and desperate cry. Kalifa reached out as far as she could, calling to her friends, to anyone who could save her.

The Force barely gave any strength to her. Managing to bring herself upright, pressing her back against the tree root, she saw the Trandoshan pull out a simple blaster pistol and moved in a steady pace. "What fun. I finally get the chance to try out my new Blaster" cackling wickedly he brought the barrel right up to Kalifa and aimed between her eyes.

From between the barrel of the Trandoshan's blaster pistol to seeing those serpent shaped eyes, there was no sense of wrong or remorse within them. This thing was a monster out a living nightmare.

The Jedi? Kalifa thought about the Jedi Order, believing that they would be the ones to save her and her friends. The young girl prayed. She hoped. But after so long, and now coming to face death up front and personal, all of it was for nothing now.

_SNAP!_

The sound of a branch snapped loudly. Stopping the Trandoshan before he had the chance to pull the trigger. "Garnac? Is that you!?" the reptilian questioned, turning towards the dark brush.

In the corner of her eye, Kalifa swore she saw something move in the dark brush. She shivered.

The Trandoshan hunter hissed violently and aimed his blaster. Kalifa turned her head, meeting that same darkness that the reptile humanoid did. That's where she saw it. Piercing the dark brush were narrow slits of bright blue. The faint light from above could only give so much, and what it showed was a silhouette-like figure standing there – watching them.

The humid air took a radical change, suddenly going cold for Kalifa to see her own breath.

There was no movement. No sound. Everything in the jungle went quiet before it happened.

_THRUM!_

That's when it came to life. That loud, snap-like hiss thrummed loudly for the two of them to hear.

Jutting through the darkness was a bright, golden beam of light, bathing and illuminating the figure just enough for her and the Trandoshan to see.

There was a brief shake of the reptilian humanoid, snarling, the Trandoshan used his blaster pistol and fired.

Responding just as fast as the blaster bolts were fire, long streaks of gold waved left and right and batted away each of the red bolts. Small flashes pulsed and sparks flew from each of the swings the figure made.

Kalifa could feel the Force coming off of this mysterious being.

The Force moved, being pulled in and around the figure.

It was violent, twisting and churning so wildly that it was almost uncanny to believe the Force could even be felt in such a way. The figure made its move, extending and reaching out its spare limb. The Trandoshan stopped firing, stumbling and letting out hoarse hacks of breath. Kalifa turned to look at the Trandoshan hunter, she saw that horrid beast of a creature lifted off the ground grasping at his throat. It was the figure that was doing this. Using the Force and using it to strangle the life out of the humanoid shaped reptile.

Deep down, Kalifa, all the fear and anger in her heart, a part of her felt herself wanting to use it to, to make that vile beast suffer for all the torment he and his ilk made her and her friends go through.

The figure's pace stopped, meeting a few feet apart from where Kalifa was placed. The lightsaber in this person's hand and its beautiful glow was what gave Kalifa enough to make out just who this figure was.

This person was an imposing character garbed in armor; armor she had never seen before. It was a man. It had to have been. With his hand raised clenched in a hold that exemplified the Force's hold on the Trandoshan's throat – those piercing glowing blue eyes had turned to meet Kaifa's. Fear wrapped itself in her when she looked up to meet this character.

It was brief. The next thing Kalifa saw was the person pulling the Trandoshan with the Force and plunging his lightsaber right into the reptile's heart – killing him.

With a wave of the armored man's arm, he threw the slumped corpse into the brush.

The nightmare was finally over. So much anxiety was lighted off her shoulders knowing that hope of making it off this rock would finally come.

This armored man held a lightsaber, but Kalifa knew this man was no Jedi. The feeling she felt through the Force didn't match the tranquil feeling the Jedi Knights or Masters radiated off of them. His presence was different. So very, very different.

This Force-like whirlwind that spiraled around the armored man couldn't even be compared to the tranquil-like state of the Jedi Masters.

His lightsaber was still active, merely lowered at his side nowhere dangerously close to her.

Kalifa mustered her courage, biting back the pain and spoke. "Who are you?" Kalifa questioned, confused and so very much afraid.

The armored man drew closer, the metallic hilt of his lightsaber suddenly extended – turning into a makeshift Lightsaber Pike. Jabbing the end into the ground and letting it stand upright on its own, his hands slowly came up to his helmet and silently took it off.

A shock of ghostly white colored hair sprung out from underneath the helmet, dark grey skin and ominous red eyes. His lips curved upward, Kalifa shivered when she saw two of his teeth long and sharp, almost enough to sprout out from his lip.

Surprising her, he crouched down to meet her at eye-level. And he brought out his hand.

"Come with me " he said.

The Force came to life, shimmering around him and comforting her. It was the first time it brought a comforting sense of relief that soothed her worries and fears. Even the pain had grown distant.

Looking at his offered hand, something in Kalifa knew that whoever this person was – he was the one to give her hope once more.

Kalifa took it.

There was a disturbance in the Force.

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…

*******Author's Note**:  
"This story has been rewritten with few and minor details and alterations. The third chapter has already been installed to go along with it and I made sure to add in the "Gelel" elements that weren't featured in the previous installation when I started out the first chapter. I made sure to look over some of my misspells and grammar and correct them – not all if I missed some by accident. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think about the story, NO FLAMES!


	2. Chapter 2

_"There is no death, there is only the Force… and it has a plan"  
~Darth Marr_

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*******Chapter 1**: The Knights of Zakuul and the Eternal Order*****

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...

Had she been seeing things? It was a question Kalifa asked herself when meeting face-to-face with her savior.

Had it been hunger and anxiety that made her believe in that monstrous appearance she thought she had seen back in the dark jungle? Kalifa remembered a literal mane of ghostly white hair wild and unruly, dark colored skin and ominous red eyes.

However, spending the next hour or two traveling through Hyperspace in relative silence, Kalifa didn't see that same ominous and intimidating look she thought she had seen back on the desolate moon. Instead, Kalifa saw a normal human boy's face.

Kalifa's savior was much younger than she thought, maybe a year or two older than her at least.

They rode in a shuttlecraft of an unknown design; the ship was big enough to hold ten or twelve people. And everyone, aside from Kalifa, Jinx and O-Mer, were individuals each gifted in the Force, and each exceptionally powerful in their own right.

However, one thing Kalifa knew was certain was that her savior's power dwarfed the others.

One thing they all had in common were the golden colored armor they wore and helmeted masks glowing bright blue from where the eyes were.

Kalifa's savior had taken his off and placed it on his lap.

The men and women in golden armor were placed on each side of the shuttlecraft, the men on the right and the women on the left side of the shuttle with Kalifa's savior in the middle. Looking over his shoulder, Kalifa saw the cockpit where the remaining two were – both also fellow warriors of the same party.

It wasn't just the gold armor they wore, placed at their side were large golden shields and holding onto their free hand were telescopic Lightsaber Pikes minimized into the same size as a regular lightsaber hilt.

They were an intimidating group; it was probably why Kalifa and her friends kept quiet since the trip.

These people came in and killed off the Trandoshans that kept them on Wasskah. Kalifa was brought to the ruined fortress that they decimated during the brief battle between the golden warriors and the Trandoshans. Rather than treating them like ignorant children – somehow Kalifa felt they all understood what she and her friends underwent. Something she was actually thankful for.

Leaving that moon, all that was left after Wasskah were Kalifa: the young Human female, O-Mer the young Cerean male, and Jinx the young Twi'lek male.

The shuttlecraft they flew in possessed its own Hyperdrive and allowed it to travel great distance that weren't normally used for this kind of starship.

Kalifa had no idea where they were heading, and neither did Kalifa's friends know either.

Since the trip, Kalifa eyed her savior moments at a time. The memory of seeing him kill that Trandoshan hunter so viciously, it matched the same way how the Force was felt around him. He had looked so very intimidating with the cover of night surrounding him with only the golden glow of his lightsaber. Now, thanks to the ship's fluorescent lights above, he seemed like any ordinary person – something Kalifa knew the blonde was far from that.

He was a teen rather than boy, having a bright shock of unruly and somewhat spiky hair. His skin was fair, three thin lines were seen on each cheek and his eyes were red-rimmed irises with molten orange surrounding his black pupils.

Kalifa remembered back during her studies in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where the Jedi Masters spoke of practitioners who would twist and pervert the Force to their will. Saying along the line that it was proof of the corruption to them and the misuse of the Force itself.

It was obvious. If it hadn't been for her sense, she would have just believed those were his natural eye color. What the former Jedi initiate knew was that her savior was a practitioner to the Dark Side of the Force. With how much mastery, Kalifa did not know.

He moved somewhat in his seat, looking up right at her. "I can feel your thoughts in the Force ya'know? Got something on your mind?" Naruto asked her. After their success in killing those hunters back on Wasskah, the trip had been quiet enough to wonder in thought on what he and his fellow knights planned on doing with the three survivors they had found back on that moon. Though, a part of him ignored the stares the girl Kalifa gave him minute after minute – her mind just wondering who and what were he and his group.

Naruto couldn't really blame her for being curious. Especially for what they were.

His remark left Kalifa flustered a bit, a faint tint of red cover her cheeks at how her thoughts betrayed her. "Sorry, I ugh, who are you again? I don't think we exchanged names back on Wasskah" Kalifa wanted to know who these people were, she wanted to know who her savior's name was.

"Naruto. My name is Naruto, and yours?" he replied before asking her name.

"Kalifa. These are my friends O-Mer and Jinx" Kalifa pointing to the Cerean and Twi'lek by name both who either waved or nodded nervously.

Naruto nodded with a small smile, "It's nice to meet you three. Though I gotta admit, when we set out to find those Trandoshan scum, we didn't expect to find any survivors. I guess we should be thankful we got there in time – especially with your help Kalifa."

"Me?" Kalifa pointed at herself, confused. "I didn't do anything, you guys saved us."

"I felt you through the Force" Naruto elaborated, "we were just arriving on Wasskah when I felt you reach out for someone to help you, I heard the call and that was what led me to save you and your friends."

O-Mer and Jinx looked at her, drawing their attention towards her.

"I still didn't do much?" murmuring and looking away, Kalifa winced with a small pained grunt. The injury she suffered was minor now, thanks to Naruto using the Force to comfort and heal her, Kalifa didn't have a seared hole on her shoulder anymore. It wasn't perfect – Naruto could only manage to knit back the damaged bone, muscle and flesh just enough to close the wound, not properly heal it.

Seeing her wince from the pain, a phantom sensation ran along his shoulder in response to what Kalifa felt. He ignored it. "Kalifa, I have to give you guys credit, I'm amazed that you three were able to survive for six months on that moon" with a shake of his head in disbelief, it still struck him at how just three younglings were able to survive despite the odds not being in their favor.

"Is that how long it's been?" O-Mer asked in a faint gasp, their eyes widening slowly, taken back from the fact that that was how long they've been stranded on that accursed moon.

Days and months just ticked by with neither of them knowing.

"The Datapads we were able to collect from their fortress were used as journals – they catalogued everything they've hunter all around the galaxy. You guys were mentioned a couple times in it from how long you've survived – those sick Trandoshan scum made gambles on which of them would be lucky enough to kill one of you" extending his hand to the side, one of the armored men handed him a Datapad.

It was a Versafunction88 Datapad. A slight bulky handheld device featured with a touch-sensitive screen, data port, holoprojector, and handgrips. Scrolling his gloved finger along the screen Naruto continued, "taking the Datacards from all their Datapads, we were able to find out how many hidden bases they have across the Outer and Mid Rim and those that were off Wasskah. Once we take you three somewhere safe, we'll be heading back out to make sure the ones left alive face justice for the crimes they've committed."

The blonde mentioning the word safe made one of their questions answered. Yet, hearing the reassurance and certainty in his voice made all of them feel relieved. The dark days they suffered on that moon were finally over.

"I-I really thought the Jedi would be the ones to save us" Kalifa's voice cracked, "every night I hoped that they'd come. I'd always stay up just before going to sleep – reaching out with the Force to call out to them. Feeling so helpless I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs – telling the whole galaxy that we were here, stranded and helpless. But they never came. The Jedi never came for us. Instead you did – all of you" shoulders slumped and head down, Kalifa grit her teeth and bit back the sobs she had.

The anger, the anxiety, all her fears rolled off of her and in turned left the Force to ripple around for everyone to feel.

O-Mer and Jinx looked at their friend in worry. The armored ones and Naruto were unfazed by the downtrodden feelings radiating off of the young girl. Handing over the Datapad to the one that gave it to him, Naruto eyed Kalifa when he felt her downtrodden thoughts. The feelings of sadness and anger boiling deep within her. And there were so many questions, so many thoughts running along her mind so quickly for her to even make sense of. One thing was certain, Kalifa refused to cry in front of him, seeing her wipe away whatever tears were in her eyes Kalifa looked up at him.

"Sorry. I – we – still don't even know who you guys are. You're Force wielders, but we know you aren't Jedi, so who are you people?" Kalifa asked, relaying the same question that was on both O-Mer and Jinx's minds.

Hearing her question, the golden warriors glanced at one another. A shared thought in mind, a questionable one they all shared.

The pilots paid no heed on the conversation between one of their own and the younglings they saved. O-Mer and Jinx kept quiet, waiting, wanting to know who the people that rescued them were. Words couldn't express how grateful they were to them.

Naruto spared at glance at his ilk and then back to Kalifa. There was a thought, wondering if he should even say. Then again, what harm could there be? They wanted to know who saved them, to show how grateful they were. "We are, the Knights of Zakuul, members of the Eternal Order" Naruto answered, almost sounding proud by the name of his order.

There was confusion followed by silence. The trio of younglings glancing at each other – not sure what to make of the identity of the people that saved them

"The Knights of Zakuul? The Eternal Order?" Jinx repeated what the blonde human said. "I don't think I've – we've ever heard of your order before, and we were taught a lot during our academy days in the Jedi Temple"

"That's good, then that means our secret is still safe even after all this time" it did them justice knowing one of the most recognizable Force-based organizations weren't aware of their existence yet.

"Wait? Then why? Trandoshans live in the Kashyyyk system which is in the Mid Rim. If your order really is reclusive that the Jedi doesn't know, then why come out of hiding?" O-Mer said. It struck him as odd to him at how an entire order of Force wielders could be even able to hide anywhere in the galaxy without either the Jedi or the Galactic Republic from knowing.

"Just because we're reclusive doesn't mean we're ignorant about what's happening to the galaxy around us. Those Trandoshan hunters were making a bit of name for themselves in hunting sentient life across the galaxy, and when they stumbled to close into our territory and kidnapped a few dozen people on one of our worlds – we were called to act and bring those scum to justice"

The trio were silent. It never came to them about how many innocent people were hunted by those vicious killers – they never even imagined how many people died at the hands of those monsters. And they never imagined that the Jedi didn't do anything to stop them.

"The Jedi were never going to come for us, were they" O-Mer said coldly. The three of them were practically raised by the Jedi Order, and the thought of the same order they grew to admire didn't so much as bat an eyelash to them missing spoke in volumes never before seen to each of the trio.

Betrayal was the only word to fit what O-Mer felt. How could the Jedi have abandoned them so easily? Six months? Were they ever searching at all?

Naruto sensed their feelings, "sorry my people weren't the ones you wanted. At least now you can be okay knowing those Trandoshan scum won't ever kill any more innocent people" that was the only solace he could give them. Their sense of purpose, one that each of them kept with them about their order they grew up seemed to shatter like glass at how everything they've come to believe wouldn't ever truly be what it was.

"No" Kalifa said abruptly, shaking her head. "You don't need to apologize; we owe our lives to you and your knights" looking down at her hands – seeing the rough calluses on her palms and fingertips. They shook. Not from anger, but a new sense of assurance. "You made me realize I can't trust the Jedi anymore. Living on that moon for six months, seeing all you do what the Jedi couldn't, I want to help other people the same way you did for me and my friends. I don't want innocent people to suffer like we did"

It had to have been a logical choice. A decision governed by just as much raw emotion as it was about logic. The galaxy was a harsh place, Kalifa wanted to help the galaxy when the Jedi failed at doing it. These people, these Knights of Zakuul made sure justice was ultimately served. "C-can I be able to join your Order?" saying it aloud for both O-Mer and Jinx to look at her, there was a fire in Kalifa's eyes, one they thought had disappeared on Wasskah.

"Join us?" Naruto now taken back; recruitment wasn't an intention he had mind. Naruto thought they would want to return back to their order, maybe at least go back to civilization where they could go back to what use to be – of course there was a procedure in making sure their secrets were safe.

Though, it was a question so sudden that even the other knights glanced towards their leader. Unable to read their expressions behind their helmeted masks, no one could see what they might have felt.

"Are you sure about that? Our way might be different from what you've learned with the Jedi. You might even regret it later" warning her, there were things in mind Naruto felt someone like Kalifa would not be able to handle. Even by their training regiment, some methods could likely kill their fellow knights. Naruto bit back, these three earned his respect for being able to survive for so long. They had potential in the Force. It would only be a waste if he forced such methods on them – then again, it was a matter of choice on their part.

"We were only Jedi initiates, we never made it to Padawan status before we were even kidnapped" Jinx explained. A chanced had come. An opportunity made for all of them. The Jedi abandoned them, and if these knights could do a little bit of good in the galaxy when the Jedi failed to do for them – Jinx would want to give the galaxy the same curtesy too.

"You guys have something we didn't have back on Wasskah. You did something I doubt the Jedi would have done for us; we want to do the same" O-Mer stated.

For the moment, Naruto stared at them. Eying them to see if they were really certain about this decision they were making. Sensing them through the Force, Naruto didn't feel the trio waver. "Alright. I'm convinced" Naruto agreed, each of them breathing out a sigh in relief and nod excitingly. "How long before we reach the fortress on Ota?" Naruto looked over his shoulder, curious to know when they'd reach their destination.

"Fifty more minutes before we reach the planet, my Exarch" the co-pilot stated.

Naruto nodded, there was plenty of time then. "Alright, Kalifa, O-Mer, Jinx, if we're going to trust you, then I need you three to tell me everything you know that's happened before you were kidnapped. Everything about the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. I want to know everything."

The certainty in their eyes wavered a bit, a sense of betrayal boiling in the pit of their stomachs. It seemed sudden now. To be asked something like that. Naruto sensed that.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning something bad. I need to know what's been going on in the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. I need to know if anything's changed about the government or the order itself. That's all. And I promise I'll share whatever you three want to know"

A part of Kalifa felt she could tell Naruto what she knew. She really couldn't understand it but, it was just a feeling.

Unbeknownst to her, Kalifa didn't noticed the connection the Force had placed between herself and Naruto. A Force-bond that linked their feelings and thoughts together – perhaps one-sided where Naruto was the one who sensed the connection, but it was a bond nonetheless.

Kalifa started with the Jedi Code.

"There is no emotion, there is peace.  
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.  
There is no passion, there is serenity.  
There is no chaos, there is harmony.  
There is no death, there is the Force."

And so, it when on from there, the Jedi Code, their experiences from in the Jedi Academy and the teachings they learned before they ended up on Wasskah. How Jedi initiates like themselves were caught despite the safety of their temple was from their attempt at gaining Padawan status. They all were allowed to perform the Gathering – an ancient Jedi tradition where initiates would have the rights to gain a Lightsaber Crystal and construct their own Lightsabers, thereby becoming Padawans.

"Hm. So, the Jedi Code hasn't changed much since the Old Republic, even the Republic still sounds the same" a little disappointed knowing there wasn't much usefulness in either side, the practices for the Jedi sure have changed enough for Naruto to notice. "Okay, since you told me everything, now's my turn to tell you about us. It was during the days of the Old Republic when the Knights of Zakuul were active. The knights you see in front of you – including me – are all part of a faction we've come to call as the Eternal Order. Seventeen-hundred years ago our faction left the Unknown Regions to explore and settle onto the known regions in the galaxy. We've kept to ourselves, but we never cut ourselves off completely. Sticking to the Outer Rim we were able to find countless planets that were perfect for new settlements – some were purely used for harvest in gathering plenty of resources to distribute throughout our territories and enough financially for profitable trade with the worlds under Republic control – of course it was under a different name so it wouldn't draw to much attentions to us directly"

Explaining further on the origins of the Eternal Order and Zakuul Knights and how they've been active, Jinx spoke up.

"Has the Eternal Order every come into contact with the Jedi Order since after the Old Republic?" that had been Jinx's question.

Naruto thought, "I remember back in my academy days that during the early wars between the Jedi and Sith, their battles would get to close to our territories in the Outer Rim – those was the only times the Zakuul Knights fought against both the Jedi and Sith and won." Naruto didn't go further to elaborate the remaining order had killed off both Jedi and Sith, making sure they weren't discovered and that no one would know any of the locations for the Zakuul territories.

"What about the Force? The Jedi Masters told us at times about their time exploring other worlds where other people practice the Force differently than how they use it. What makes the Zakuul Knights different in using it?" Kalifa asked.

"The Knights of Zakuul see the Force as a tool to be used in the pursuit of justice, nothing more than that" it was a simple doctrine that was the core belief to any Zakuul Knight.

"But what about the Dark Side? I saw you use it on that Trandoshan when you found me. Aren't you afraid what might happen to you or your people if you let it control you?" Kalifa asked.

Kalifa remembered what one of the masters told her about the Dark Side and how not to succumb to it. The masters would often tell the initiates about how individuals who follow the Dark Side tend to be more abrasive with their emotions and were quick to anger and hate. The most well-known practitioners were the Sith. But Naruto was no Sith. He didn't fit anything the teachers told her about other lesser Dark Side practitioners like Dark Jedi.

Seeing those molten orange orbs that Naruto had, the masters told that was the proof of someone's misuse of the Force and perverting it to their will.

"The Knights of Zakuul don't believe in that. I mean, we don't really reject or follow either side of the Force. What's really important to a Zakuul Knight is exploring their own personal connection to the Force and using it for the greater good. It doesn't matter how we use the Force, as long as we use it for justice and serving under our leader. Light or Dark doesn't matter if it doesn't benefit with our goal. So long as our goal is the same, our devotion for what we believe in, that's all there is to being a Zakuul Knight" Naruto elaborated.

"What about the rules? Or a council, isn't there anyone that watches over your order in case anyone doesn't follow what your ideals are?" Jinx questioned.

"A Zakuul Knight would never betray his own people" Naruto said sharply, "we live to serve our people, protect them and we live to serve and protect our leader"

It went on, going back and forth as they continued. So much unlike the Jedi, and so very much flexible in making sure that they as Force wielders could do to keep the peace.

"So, the knights have control over the Zakuul territories?" Kalifa asked, which the other knights glanced towards Naruto.

"The territories are policed somewhat by the knights, but our system is a monarchy which means our emperor has the final say. We either refer to him as our Emperor or His Excellency, he's our leader and the one that stands above all of us" before Naruto could have explained further, the ship had just come out of Hyperspace.

"My Exarch, now approaching the fortress on Ota" the pilot knight stated.

Coming out of Hyperspace, the Zakuul Dropship arrived to Ota.

Ota was a frozen world that underwent a brutal ice age. The frozen world was once populated by an advance society, but the ice age that swept the planet left the remaining population into primitive one thereafter – the Eternal Order would call the populace Snogar. Neither the Jedi Order or the Republic would ever have known of this world would be an outpost for the Eternal Order. Over the long centuries Ota was overlooked many times over as just some frozen backwater world useless to them. From here, the Eternal Order could assess over the inner parts of the galaxy without being detected. Here was a place no Jedi or Republic would ever come too.

In all its glory, orbiting the frozen planet was a massive battle-station of Zakuulan design.

A Star Fortress.

It was a massive space stations powered by Sun Generators; Star Fortresses were placed in orbit of worlds under Zakuulan control to ensure each and every world was protected from outside threats. Every Star Fortress contained numerous hangars, a combat droid facility, and Zakuulan military forces. As with any stations the Star Fortress provided necessities for its soldiers such as cantinas and bunks.

And as a precaution to the Star Fortress's protection, placed around the battle station were three battle cruisers every one of them being a Terminus-class destroyer with one additional ship being a Gage-class transport.

This was a home away from home.

"Once we land, make sure our new friends are taken care of. I have to make a report for His Excellency, understood" Naruto ordered, getting a _'yes, honorable Exarch' _from each of the knights.

Already Naruto could hear the call of his master. He had to know what had happened in the last hour since their trip in the Mid Rim. The shuttle landed in the hangar of the Star Fortress and Naruto went to work.

* * *

***Author's Note**:  
"I just underwent an entire rewrite with minor or significant changes to the previous two chapters and now with the third chapter coming up, it will be good… I hope. Anyway, if any of you have noticed then thank you for being patient on the chapters. I have plenty of time, but real life tends to get in the way but we all need a way to live don't we. Anyway, like my previous question before:

Just how will this affect the Clone Wars? How will it affect the Republic? How will it affect the Confederacy of Independent Systems? How will it affect the Jedi Order? How will it affect the Sith? And most importantly, how will it affect Darth Sidious?

Please review and tell me what you think, NO FLAMES!


	3. Chapter 3

*******Author's Note**:  
"Believe it or not, I just rewrote my previous chapters with a few additional scenes and slightly different dialogue. If any of you are keeping up on the title, the word "Gelel" comes from the 2nd original Naruto Movie called "Legend of the Stone of Gelel" which has different forms of powers and abilities that is not related to chakra – and that reason being is because the Force doesn't like to be cheated so in exchange for Force related abilities Naruto no longer wields chakra and uses the Force instead with the exception of Gelel and its abilities. I have a path to this story and so far, I am looking over the events of the Clone Wars and the timeline to make sure it goes smoothly.

Also, I plan in rewriting some of my stories and give them better description and dialogue, along with giving my stories different plots than what I had originally intended before – mostly because I'd forgotten. Anyway, the stories I plan on giving more focus are:

My Naruto Rosario+Vampire Crossover.

My Naruto Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover.

My Naruto Akame ga Kill Crossover.

And lastly, my Naruto Star Wars Crossover.

Some of you will have to hold on this current Naruto Star Wars Crossover because I plan on writing another Naruto Star Wars Crossover with a different Force organization that might be a little more flexible than the Zakuul Knights. SPOILERS, the group I am referring to are called "THE BLACKGUARD!"

Please review and tell me what you think, NO FLAMES!

* * *

*******Chapter 2**: sequence of events*****

* * *

…

_**Naruto's Inner Thoughts**__**.**_

_As far as I could remember, I never knew my parents – I only heard stories about them from the other knights who have been in the Order longer than I have._

_They said they were good people. That they were one of the most well-known and respected Zakuul Knight. They protected our borders to keep Outlanders away and make sure order was placed on each system under the Zakuulan banner._

_When I got older, I asked what happened to them? The adults said they died when I was very young, they'd been killed during a planetary raid on one of our worlds. They sacrificed themselves to keep our people, to keep me, and our secrets safe. And when my Force-sensitivity manifested I knew right then and there I wanted to be like them._

_I wanted to be a Zakuul Knight and live up to what they did for me and everyone else. So, I joined the Knights of Zakuul and I underwent training in everything a knight was meant to go under._

_I was trained to fight without the Force._

_I was trained to fight with the Force._

_I learned through teachers, Datapads or even old Holocrons. There was so much I never knew about our galaxy and I just wanted to understand all of it – not just about the Force but also the entire galaxy and the people living in it._

_That was how I met 'His Excellency.'_

_The most iconic and legendary figure in the entire Order – a master said to have such control over the Force that he was able to uncover many great secrets and grant himself immortality._

_Some of the stories I heard told about how His Excellency was a descendant to the Demon Savior. It was an old and ancient story that predated the Eternal Order, going back to the time when the home planet Zakuul was just a primitive world with no technological advancements._

_He seemed like every bit like a man, but I knew he wasn't a man. He was His Excellency. He lived to be called by his title and nothing more._

_And when I tried to feel him through the Force, it was like staring into the sun without the glare blinding me. And when he reached out and patted my head, telling me he was pleased to see someone like me – someone so young filled with so much ambition and so much devotion for our home and its people that I made a promise to him. That I swore to keep him, our home and people safe._

_His Excellency smiled, believing me._

_He told me something. He told me I had potential – not just in the Force._

…

_**Kalifa's inner thoughts**__**.**_

_I never would have believed everything could change in the last few months I've been here._

_Back then, I felt so much anger at myself, at the Jedi and even at the galaxy._

_Back then, I felt so lost, trying to understand why is it me suffering when all I ever wanted was to be a Jedi._

_When we were on that island, we saw so many innocent people die on Wasskah – even other Jedi initiates. They went out of their way to fight, and they died for it, we turned our backs, throwing away our belief just so we could live another day. And I don't regret it. Not because I didn't follow what I was led to believe practically from birth – but that the world outside of the Jedi Temple was never what it was cracked up to be._

_On that moon, I had to survive – we had to survive._

_I was always told that the Jedi are peacekeepers. The Jedi are supposed to keep the peace, but there was no peace. How could there be if something like those Trandoshan hunters were allowed to roam the galaxy all this time?_

_When there wasn't any hope left, that's when you came in and saved us._

_Not the Jedi, but the Knights of Zakuul who brought justice on those rabid curs and made sure scum like them wouldn't hurt anyone ever again._

_Naruto, you were the one to teach me You showed me something else, something new._

_And because of that, everything felt different now._

_From the warm sunlight kissing my skin, to the blades of grass crunching beneath my feet. Everything was different – even the Force felt different._

…

**The Inner Questions and making of a Zakuul Knight****.**

There was a tradition that went back a thousand years ago.

It involved a special tree that was devoid of the Force. And while life blossomed in this area, anyone gifted in the Force were unable to wield it so long as they were in range of this special tree.

The task was, to get a single piece of fruit that grew at the very top of the tree. With nothing but their hands and feet to climb, men and women, initiates alike would go to this tree.

There was a purpose to this. A strange one at that, one that their leader – His Excellency ordered long ago.

And so, it went on from there. Kalifa, a former Jedi initiate, now turned Zakuul initiate would enact this ritual.

Before they came to this special tree, she and Naruto had been out in the fields since dawn, tending to the crops and harvesting the fruits and vegetables that were ripe.

Kalifa had climbed atop of the branches of the special tree where she reached out with one arm, keeping herself balanced with the other arm and grabbing onto another branch, she managed to pluck a reddish-orange fruit from the branches. It was big around as her fist.

Kalifa let out a sigh in relief. Many attempts of doing this led many, very painful downfalls – figuratively and literally. "Look out below" Kalifa warned before dropping said fruit.

Naruto had caught it in his hand at the bottom.

"Not bad. You finally managed to get one without falling" Naruto teased, reminding her of the other times she'd fallen off.

_SNAP!_

After saying that, Naruto heard Kalifa screaming, he winced every time he heard a branch snap before hearing her body kiss the ground hard with a thud.

"Guess I spoke to soon" snickering, Naruto took a bite of the Muja Fruit with Kalifa only groaning in response.

…

He had to carry her. So much in pain – especially for the fact the Force wouldn't be there to aid through the pain until they fully left the range of the special tree. Even then, Kalifa would need to gain back her strength in the Force before anything else.

Carrying her on his back, Naruto did this while pushing the hovercart forward. Their latest harvest gave them six barrels filled with Muja Fruit. Muja Fruit was a sweet and tasteful fruit commonly used in making juice and pastries like muffins.

"Don't worry Kalifa, nothing like a Bacta-patch won't cure" he told her, shrugging off her pain.

"That doesn't make it any better, ya'know" Kalifa said with a groan.

"I guess not. At least you passed Kalifa. Everyone usually has a hard time climbing because no one can really handle the Force void" explained Naruto. One could only imagine how many times Naruto has seen people fall off and hit the ground so many times. Maybe comical to some, but painful to many.

"So, does that mean you'll finally tell me about that tree?" asked Kalifa.

Naruto turned his head slightly, looking over his shoulder where Kalifa looked at him waiting to hear about the Force void the tree had with it. Naruto looked back ahead.

"I don't really know much about it, other than what I was told by the senior knights. It's a little like an urban legend around here"

"And that is?"

"His Excellency" Naruto answered, "some say it was His Excellency who stripped the tree from the Force. It's the reason why we can't use our Force abilities whenever we're close to it. The experienced knights who've been here longer than me said it's to show we're all the same like any other person"

"I'm not sure I understand?"

"Okay, let me put it this way. If the Jedi found you, and not us. You got to be a Jedi Knight and everything, let's say something happens to you and you can't use the Force anymore. Are you still a Jedi without the Force?"

Kalifa's eyes widen momentarily. That was a question she never even thought of. The idea without ever using the Force, it almost seemed, scary. Scarier than even the Trandoshan hunters. If she didn't have the Force, what would that even make her? Who would she even be?

"I don't know" she answered truthfully.

Naruto felt her fear, the sliver of Force energy within her shook just enough for him to feel.

"It's scary, isn't it. But it helps, ya'know. It makes you think we aren't that different from the people in the galaxy. Under all the armor, despite all the power we have in our fingertips, we're still human – so to speak"

"I think I get it now"

"Then you passed. You're officially a Zakuul Knight then"

With what Naruto just said, Kalifa hadn't expected to be an official Zakuul Knight on the spot. Reaching the cabins that acted as their homes for all the Zakuulan initiates, Kalifa would also be greeted with other Zakuul initiates, junior and senior Zakuul Knights, along with Jinx and O-Mer.

Tables were rowed with all sorts of food like seafood, fruits, vegetables, pastries and all other assorted foodstuff.

People danced to the music playing.

Initiates were running around across the cabin trying to catch one another.

And the junior and senior members, they talked.

"So finally, after climbing all the way up the tree and getting the Muja Fruit, the branch breaks right then and there and Kalifa falls, hitting the branches all the way down before hitting the ground" Naruto retold what had happened earlier, everyone burst out laughing.

"Haha, very funny" Kalifa said sarcastically, wincing again from the Bacta-patch the knights placed on her. A few scratches and mild bruising, nothing was seriously damaged thankfully.

"Don't be mad Kalifa, you could only imagine how many times someone's fallen off of that blasted tree. Even our Exarch over here is no exception" one of the senior members said, pointing out how all of them endured the same test before her.

"Didn't Exarch get a broken nose when he fell off" a lady knight nudged one of her fellows.

"Yeah he did, one sick pop and blood was everywhere when he hit the ground" all of them brought up a bitter incident during Naruto's trial.

"Ouch! That had to have hurt" Jinx winced, rubbing his own nose at how much pain he'd be in from something like that.

"Oh, it hurt like hell. I couldn't even talk right without sounding something was holding my nose the entire time" Naruto shook his head; he really didn't like talking about it. Then again, it was probably justice for Kalifa when she heard the tale. Seeing her giggle must have made her feel a little better after telling her story to everyone.

"It only took me two days to heal from that" Naruto smirked, something the others laugh a bit.

"Yep, that's our Exarch. One of the strongest of the Zakuul Knights out there" they gave a cheer, toasting his name and title.

Two hours later, the partying was still going strong. Some of the initiates had called in early with some of the senior knights taking them along to their respective cabins. It wasn't long before the junior members were picking up the scattered trash around them.

Jinx offered O-Mer another Muja Muffins, which the Cerean declined with a wave of his hand. He almost looked the same color as Jinx when presented the food. The Twi'lek shrugged and ate another delicious pastry.

Kalifa took a few steps out and onto the front porch steps of her cabin.

"The party was nice, don't you think?" Naruto came at her side, sitting across from her when he asked about the celebration for her induction as a new member of the Zakuul Knights.

"I still can't believe you and Jinx tied in that food eating contest, Muja Muffins can get you full really quick" Kalifa snickered, remembering how O-Mer looked close to vomiting out the pastries before he had a chance with the twelfth one.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy. I need to eat" and just as he said that he was still eating another Muja Muffin.

Kalifa shivered a bit, she ate to her heart's content, and now she couldn't even look at food anymore less she threw up.

Ignoring that feeling though, Kalifa looked at the sky again. There were two moons in the sky, one was farther than the other.

"Feel any better after your fall?" Naruto asked, genuinely worried about Kalifa's injuries.

"A little sore, but I can manage"

"Hm"

For the moment, neither of them said anything.

"It's hard for me to believe I'm actually a Zakuul Knight now" Kalifa admitted. There was this sense of suddenness, like it was too quick, to easy.

Naruto felt her thoughts, calling the training he and the others endured was far from calling it easy.

"It's not because it was easy, Kalifa. It's thanks to your training as a Jedi, and your experience on Wasskah that taught you your survival skills. You, O-Mer and Jinx went along the chain in the academy because you already had what the other initiates didn't have. That's why you managed to go farther than any of the others in record time. Even I didn't go that far when I started" elaborating, Naruto offered her solace.

"I guess you're right" Kalifa agreed, seeing the logic in his words. Though a part of her wondered if it was because of the Force-bond between the two of them that she agreed so easily.

The connection between the two of them, through the Force itself, Kalifa only became aware of it later on in her training to become a Zakuul Knight. There was still so much she didn't understand about it. Being made aware to the bizarre connection brought a whole new sensation and feelings she never felt before.

And it was all because of Naruto.

Not in a bad way of course, but there was so many arrays of feelings that surged within him – it almost seemed impossible how someone could even have these chaotic emotions within and keep a simple face.

Through the Force, Kalifa could feel his strength. It was still that same whirlwind-like surge of power that drew everything caught by it. And with the Force-bond shared between the two, Kalifa was given another sense to this feeling coming off of him.

To the point where she was at its center, Kalifa would meet peace. A peace she never felt before. It was a warm, sunny-like feeling that made her feel like she was staring into the sun without the glare.

And then, there was the opposite side of it. Something Kalifa knew was because of his dabbling in the dark arts.

At times, that whirlwind-like power would change. Turning something cold, something feverish that left Kalifa nauseous.

"I can feel you trying to probe my mind, you'll hurt something if you keep trying like that. Just ask me and I'll try to answer" Naruto looked at her, the same simple expression with a brow raised.

But Kalifa knew better. The Dark Side didn't control him. It wasn't something to be scared for. Naruto controlled the Dark Side, embraced it, used it to his will to be what he was – and what he was, was a Zakuul Knight.

"Sorry, it's just that, you're unlike any other person I've met" Kalifa apologized.

"Is that a bad thing?" questioned Naruto, sounding amused.

"No! I mean, it's not a bad thing. It's just, there isn't a person that doesn't even come close to you since I've been here. The other Zakuul Knights are different in the same way, but you, it's more than just being called different" explained Kalifa.

"Really? Eh, I never really thought much about me. All that matters to me is keeping the people safe, and our worlds we've sworn to protect safe too" shrugging Kalifa's thoughts, Naruto looked out towards the fields and trees. "I promised that I do everything I can to keep everyone safe" pointing at the darkened horizon with the sky still pinkish in color.

"Then I promise to. I'll make sure I'll be the best Zakuul Knight the Eternal Order has ever seen" Kalifa smiled.

Naruto smiled a bit, Kalifa's potential in serving under the Knights of Zakuul wasn't going to be wasted in the slightest, that was something Naruto knew absolutely for sure.

The day would have been perfect.

Just before the sun would have gone down entirely, something loud flew overhead. Flying sharply through the air before making a swift turn, a Zakuul Dropship landing a few meters away from the cabins. The door slid at the side where a small three-man group came out. The engine was still running.

The three-man group revealed to be Zakuul Knights like them – but Kalifa noticed something. Unlike the golden armor the other knights wore, the uniform for these three were black and grey with the helmeted mask being a different design.

"Horizon Guards?" Naruto gasped surprisingly, stunned to find some of the most elite warriors in the order come out and meet them.

Hearing the shock in his voice, Kalifa too was shocked to see actual members of the Horizon Guards.

According to the studies Kalifa remembered that the Horizon Guards were a sub-group of Zakuul Knights within their order –they were the best of the best personally handpicked by their exalted ruler to protect him, His Excellency – the very same Kalifa now served.

Naruto rose up to meet them. Something had stirred, something that made the blonde Force-user worried.

"Exarch" one of them called, the Horizon Guard was a tall and burly shaped individual.

"Horizon Guard" Naruto met them with the same curtesy.

"You must come with us; an assembly has been called to order" the Horizon Guard stated.

Hearing how urgent he said it, Naruto couldn't help but shake one feeling he had. "Is His Excellency alright?" Naruto questioned, worried something may have happened to their leader. As impossible as it may sound, it was something any Zakuul Knight would worry over.

"His Excellency is well, but you must come with us as per his orders. The Dragon of Zakuul wakes" replying with a single phrase at the end left Naruto stunned for a moment. Naruto never thought he'd ever hear that phrase, let alone come from a Horizon Guards no less.

Without any further elaboration Naruto nodded, "take me to my Star Fortress and tell me everything on the way."

Kalifa saw Naruto move in a quick pace like the Horizon Guards.

"Naruto, wait! What's going on!?"

Before Naruto had a chance to climb aboard the shuttlecraft, he stopped, looking back to meet the worried look on Kalifa's face. The newly made Zakuul Knight was confused, not sure what was even happening. What did the _Dragon of Zakuul wakes_? Naruto almost forgot that Kalifa was still new, she didn't understand what the phrase meant.

"There's no time to explain, something's happened. Tel the others what I've told you! The Dragon of Zakuul wakes!" and like that the doors closed with the ship immediately flying through the sky and out of the planet's atmosphere.

…

* * *

***Author's Note**:  
"A bit of a cliffhanger I get it, but this will later be explained once I'm done with the other stories I said I'd focus on for the time being. Until then, please review and no FLAMES!


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